1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oil exchange timing indicating apparatus for vehicles.
2. Description of Background Art
In prior art vehicles, oil for lubricating engines or the like is exchanged so as to compensate degradation of the oil.
Methods for informing users of such an exchange timing of oil are known, for example, from Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-16849 and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 59-9784.
In the former, an oil degradation sensor is provided to directly recognize degradation of oil for indicating the exchange timing of oil. In the latter, the periods of time when oil has been actually used are integrated and the exchange timing of oil is indicated on the basis of the integrated periods of time.
However, the following points that need to be improved are not improved with the prior art. Namely, as with the former, in the case where the degradation of oil is directly recognized by the sensor, the configuration of the sensor is complicated, thus, raising the cost of the sensor. As with the latter, in the case where the exchange timing of oil is set on the basis of the integrated periods of time, there occurs a variation in degradation of oil at the exchange timing of oil.
More specifically, the degree of degradation of oil differs between where the vehicle travels in a long distance for a short time and where the engine is left aside under an idling state for a long time.